Key Facts
| Squad | Lichfield |
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| Position | Lock |
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| Age | 27 |
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| Height | 1.82m (5'12") |
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| Weight | 84kg (13st 3lb) |
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| Caps | 12 |
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Starting her first Test match against Spain in the opening European Cup game in Rovereto last May was the forerunner to Emily Braund sharing in a title triumph off the bench in the final game against France.
It spelled a significant start to her international career because she had also been part of England’s Grand Slam team the previous winter when she made her debut off the bench against Scotland and also played against Italy. Cambridge-born Emily reached 12 Test caps when sharing in the 20-16 win over Wales at Aberavon in the 2013 Six Nations.
Another joyful twist to her earlier career was as a Sheffield University student back in 2007. Emily explained: “It was then when I played my most memorable match – in the BUSA Trophy semi-final against Exeter University. The game fell during our Easter holidays so we were on tour in Spain. We were reluctant to miss the match and we were not allowed to rearrange it.
“So we flew a group of players back the night before the game. Within 15 minutes we were four tries down and all the effort of trekking across Spain and asking favours to get back up to Sheffield seemed wasted. But we pulled together and staged a dramatic comeback, ran in six tries and we were back in Spain that evening!”
Emily obtained a BA in Accounting & Financial Management and a MSc in International Management at Sheffield University, where she began playing when 20 and works as a costing and pricing officer for BAE Systems in Telford. Her previous education was at Hartford Manor Primary, Hartford High School and Longsands College in St Neots.
She has also played for Novocastrians (2008-10), Sheffield Ladies (2007-08) and Sheffield University (2004-08), where she was club captain in 2006-07. Matthew Ferguson, a former Lichfield coach, has been her mentor: “I learned a lot from ‘Fergie’. He helped me to develop from a lower league player to being able to start regularly in the Premiership,” she said.
A BUSA Trophy winner with Sheffield in 2005-06, Emily represented Cambridgeshire U18 and Seniors at netball and her father Stephen played rugby for Exeter (1970-75) and Imperial College (1975-78). Her sister Charlotte is in the De Montfort University squad at Leicester.
Last updated: March 19, 2013
